Throwback Thursdays - Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, and Pierce Brosnan
Released: 1993
Box Office: $423,200,000 (Worldwide)
Throwback Review

The other day, I heard my dad laughing at something on TV in the family room. He insisted that I had to see what he was watching. What I saw was a classic scene from one of my favourite movies from when I was a kid: "Broke my bag the bastard". The line still gets me laughing after nearly 20 years. Yes, to all those who remember seeing this film on the big screen, Mrs. Doubtfire will turn 20 next year.

Mrs. Doubtfire stars Robin Williams as a recently divorced father of three who is desperate to spend as much time as he can with his children. However, his ex-wife, played by Sally Fields, seeks out a part time housekeeper/nanny to help her with every day chores and looking after the children after school. Williams' character, Daniel, learns of this and decides to rig Miranda's (Fields) hiring process so that a character he has created (Mrs. Doubtfire) is hired. Dressed in drag as an older lady, Daniel gets the opportunity to spend more time with his children and in the process, learns more about them, his ex-wife and himself.

The film is directed by Chris Columbus who directed numerous great films from my childhood including, Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone (1 and 2), and wrote the screenplay for an iconic film of the 80s, The Goonies. He has gone on to director Harry Potter (1 and 2), and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief.  

I remember seeing this film in theatre when I was a kid. I really liked it then but I absolutely love it now. Mainly because now that I am older, I actually understand the majority of the jokes. It's amazing the things Williams' (and Fields) got away with saying in this PG-13 rated film. (For example Daniel says of Stu, Pierce Brosnan's character, "Well, they say a man who has to buy a big car like that is trying to compensate for smaller genitals").

Williams, in true form, manages to get big laughs with his quick wit and interesting "voice" characters. The role even landed him a Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy). Fields holds her own opposite Willliams who can sometimes overtake his onscreen colleagues, and even manages to earn a few laughs all her own. ("The whole time? The whole time? THE WHOLE TIME?" - on a side note, that scene might be one of my all time favourite Fields' scenes. She shows how she can switch emotions effortlessly and still have them come off genuine and not hokey).

Final Verdict: See it. Have you seriously never seen it? This film was placed 67th in the American Film Institute's "100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies" and 40th on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies of All Time".  Plenty of laughs and plenty of heart. A great family film and and even better comedy. Prepare yourself for great one-liners such as "It was a run-by-fruiting!" and "I don't work with the males because I used to be one".

And did you know - Mrs. Doubtfire was based on a book called "Alias Madame Doubtfire" by Anne Fine?